Italian Neo-Realism, De Sica's Two Women

De Sica’s Two Women is a melodramatic account of the passion and sacrifice of a mother for the love of a daughter.
Set against the backdrop of a war-torn Rome post-WWII, Sophia Loren is a widow who runs a grocery store. Loren's character, Cestra, sacrifices their home and her business in Rome to get away from the violence and bombing. Yet leaving is a personal sacrifice. Loren married the first man who could take her away from her poverty, yet now she must return to the very place she ran from.
The film shows "wartime Italy as seen through the eyes of the apolitical ordinary people whose lives are uprooted (and, in many cases, destroyed) by the numerous fighting forces who run roughshod over their land." (Hall, Two Women).
A recurring theme that the protagonist encounters again and again is the womanizing aspect of war-torn Italy. The chaotic breakdown of the post-war country is overrun with soldiers, and ultimately is shown to be an unsafe place for a single woman and her daughter, Rosetta . Their struggle is amplified through De Sica’s use of dramatic lighting. Many of the pivotal scenes, mostly involving Loren, use lighting to amplify her emotion and character development. The most memorable scene of the film is when Cestra and Rosetta find respite in an abandoned church. They are lying on benches and observing birds flying overhead where a promising light streams in through a hole in the roof. This gives the audience a false sense of calm and security. Suddenly, they are attacked by a group of Moroccan soldiers, who rape and beat them. Afterwards, it is that guiding light that brings Loren's focus to her broken daughter, lying on the floor. "The rape places a wedge between Cestra and Rosetta. In the beginning, they were mother and daughter; now they are two women." (Russell). The melodrama is reinforced by the lighting. This contrasts the typical Italian Realist style of drab peasants working, city crowds, and soldiers, reinforcing the emotional relationship and journey of the two women.


(Bibliography:)

Hall, Phil. Two Women. August 14, 2009. Film Threat: The Bootleg Files. http://www.filmthreat.com/features/2345/

Russell, Lawrence. Two Women. January, 1992. http://www.culturecourt.com/F/De%20Sica/2Women.htm